Swimming pools and the like are under constant contamination from foreign matter such as leaves, twigs, bugs, hair, etc. which are introduced into the pool by trees, swimmers, wind, and articles which are used in and around the pool.
The majority of this foreign matte which enters into the pool tends to float on or about the surface of the pool for several hours before becoming water-logged and sinking to the bottom. It has been shown, that because of the foreign matter's tendency to remain at the surface for such an extended period of time, that seventy-five (75%) of pool contaminants are within the top six inches of water.
Traditionally, foreign matter was allowed to sink to the bottom before it was removed by various forms of pool vacuum cleaners or allowed to clog pool skimmers (overflow) as it was drawn into the recirculation system. Examples of pool vacuum cleaners are disclosed in product literature from Polaris.RTM. which discloses the VAC SWEEP 180, the KREEPY KRAULY.RTM. SYSTEM, Aquanaunt, Inc.'s AQUADROID.RTM., and Arneson Products, Inc.,s POOL VAC.RTM.. These devices require the debris to sink to the bottom of the pool before the debris can be removed by vacuuming.
Alternatives to bottom moving vacuum cleaners, are devices which are either stationary or mobile which have at least one water whip which sweeps submerged surfaces of the pool. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,518 to Henricksen, issued Jan. 14, 1975, and Arneson Product, Inc.'s POOL SWEEP.RTM.I and II. Such devices require a booster pump to increase the water pressure in the pool's recirculation system to drive the water whips, thereby greatly increasing the cost of pool cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,178 to Brooks, issued Feb. 19, 1991, discloses a heavier-than water pool cleaning device which has a floatable body propelled about the surface of the pool by the recirculation system while a water whip having a filter bag attached to its free end travels about the pool floor and walls. This device cleans debris only when it has reached the bottom of the pool.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,424 to Drew, issued May 24, 1988, discloses a floating swimming pool cleaner which is propelled about the surface of the pool. Debris drawn by suction into the device is either trapped within a basket below the device or withdrawn from the pool through a standard pool vacuum hose. In this configuration, the device may easily become jammed or clogged which may result in serious damage to the pool recirculation system. In addition in this configuration, the device is incapable of trapping larger objects such as twigs which commonly get blown into a pool.
Examples of stationary pool cleaners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,089,074, issued May 16, 1978 and 4,053,412, issued Oct. 11, 1977, to Sermons and Stix, respectively. These devices are located adjacent the water circulation drain to passively collect debris in the surface flow. These devices do not actively entrap debris by the use of water jets and rely exclusively on the directional surface flow resulting from the recirculation system of the pool.
The present invention incorporates many of the known benefits of pool cleaners while improving on the ease and cost of use and reducing the amount of time necessary to remove debris from the surface flow of a pool.